UNLV quarterback Kenyon Oblad enters transfer portal

UNLV quarterback Kenyon Oblad announced Tuesday afternoon on Twitter he has entered the NCAA’s transfer portal.

Oblad, a Liberty High School product, has three years of eligibility remaining. He said there were a lot of factors that went into his decision to leave the Rebels.

“Growing up in Vegas and playing here has been great, and I’m close to family,” Oblad said. “I’ll have to leave family and move out of state. There’s a chance going into the portal that nobody picks you up.”

Oblad played in 11 games and started eight for the Rebels in 2019 but did not play after the 2020 opener and fell to fourth on the depth chart.

“The season was tough for a lot of reasons,” Oblad said. “The way it happened is how it happened. I love my boys at UNLV, and I’m proud I got to play with them for three years.”

The 6-foot-3-inch, 195-pounder was 167-for-308 (54.2 percent) passing for 2,081 yards with 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions while leading UNLV to a 3-5 record as a redshirt freshman. That record included a 33-30 overtime win over UNR in the Battle for the Fremont Cannon, in which he tossed a 19-yard touchdown to Steve Jenkins for the game-winner.

That win came in the week after it was announced coach Tony Sanchez had been fired. New coach Marcus Arroyo named Max Gilliam the starter for the 2020 opener against San Diego State. While Gilliam received the bulk of the snaps against the Aztecs, Oblad was 2-for-4 for 2 yards passing and rushed for 10 yards on two carries in his three series, the last of which ended when he fumbled in the final seconds.

Justin Rogers also played in the opener and one other game, and true freshman Doug Brumfield played in the final two games as Oblad tumbled down the depth chart.

“The only thing I’m looking for is a place where I can go play and finish my degree,” Oblad said. “Those are the only things I’m weighing. Anywhere that has that option for me is somewhere I’d like to go play football.”

Oblad was a three-star recruit after throwing for a since-surpassed state record of 11,828 yards and 116 touchdowns in his career at Liberty and was a three-time all-state selection.

Contact Jason Orts at jorts@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2936. Follow @SportsWithOrts on Twitter.